22 Container Gardens That Will Make You Want to Start Gardening

As these photos show, a garden can call for nothing more than a pot and a lush plant.
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Ngoc Minh Ngo

1 of 23

To grow vegetables in containers, look for varieties with words like bush, baby, dwarf, tiny, midget, and patio in their names. They are bred to be compact.


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Richard Felber

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Before heading to the nursery, study the area you’ve picked for your container garden―is it sunny? shady?―and then find plants that will flourish in those conditions.


Ngoc Minh Ngo

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Terra-cotta pots are ideal for container plants because their porous walls let air and water move easily through, so roots grow healthily.


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Ngoc Minh Ngo

4 of 23

An assortment of herbs can be planted in one pot, so long as their care requirements are compatible.


Aimee Herring

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Potted plants flanking an entry door are warm and welcoming.


Richard Felber

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Place a large pot in the center of a display, accented with smaller pots for balance.


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Richard Felber

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Create a “centerpiece” for your porch by grouping varieties of the same species planted in similar pots.


Richard Felber

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Matching pots planted with ornamental grass lend drama to a driveway or path.


Richard Felber

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Use potted plants to define an outdoor space: Here, they separate patio from lawn.


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Mark Lund

10 of 23

Ceramic pots are porous, allowing roots to breathe, and a glazed finish helps conserve moisture.


Richard Felber

11 of 23

Mounted plants cheer up a bare wall. Hang an even number for a formal look, an odd number for a more relaxed feel.


Richard Felber

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For an especially easy hanging garden, try mini petunias: They never need deadheading, and they thrive in sun or a mix of sun and shade.


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Beatriz Da Costa

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An old birdbath makes a perfect new home for shallow-rooted succulents.


Minh & Wass

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Create an oasis in your yard by arranging potted plants into a sheltering screen.


Mark Lund

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When potting ivy, make sure the containers have enough depth to allow for proper drainage.


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Ellen Silverman

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During the winter, you can force bulbs to bloom indoors (like the Christmas Pearl grape hyacinths shown here), then replant outside come spring.


Ellen Silverman

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Pungently fragrant paperwhite narcissus are easy to coax into bloom indoors. Use tall containers with no drainage holes.


Lisa Hubbard

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A terrarium―which lets greens live in a self-sufficient environment―is a no-fuss way to garden.


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Lisa Hubbard

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A humidity-loving tropical houseplant, such as a maidenhair fern or a flame violet, will thrive in a bell-jar terrarium.


Ellen Silverman

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Planted in a ceramic pitcher (drilled to add drainage holes), purple shamrock makes the tiniest indoor container garden.


Wendell T. Webber

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A tangle of roots exposed in a glass cylinder can be just as eye-catching as the leaves above.


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Ngoc Minh Ngo

22 of 23

Always empty saucers after you water plants: Letting pots sit in water can damage roots.


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